Forever my Brother
by Shattered Aura
Summary: An argument between two brothers make them realise how important they are to each other.


**A/N: Hey guys!**

**So, this is a little one-shot I came up with more than a month ago and I re-wrote it, and finished it yesterday, so I decided to post it!**

**Summary: An argument between two brothers make them realise how important they are to each other.**

**Disclaimer: I sadly don't own the Outsiders! Only the idea of this one-shot.**

**Rated T for cursing. The characters are OOC: mainly Sodapop and Darry, and slightly Ponyboy. No flames, just positive critics please!**

**Read & review, and enjoy!**

XxX

"You piece of shit!"

"You jerk!"

"You damn brat!" Were the first things Sodapop Curtis heard upon walking inside his house. The first things he _saw_ were his baby brother and best friend face to face, with Ponyboy standing on his toes and Steve Randle's fists tightly clenched, both boys' faces inches apart from the other's, their eyes glaring daggers at each other.

"Shut up, both of you!" he shouted, startling the fighting boys. Ponyboy breathed heavily and glared at Steve before making his way to his room.

"Nu-uh, buddy, you stay here," Soda hissed, grabbing Ponyboy's forearm harshly. Ponyboy was once again startled, this time by the harshness of his older brother, who was never harsh, especially toward him.

Soda shoved his baby brother back in the living room and sat him down on the couch. He did the same to his best friend, and when the two rivals were settled in, he started pacing in front of them.

"What's with you guys?" he said after a few moments of silence. Neither boy answered. "Why were you fighting, uh?" he ranted. "I've never seen you two fight about anything," he stated rather sadly.

Ponyboy blinked back frustration tears and exploded. "That's where you're wrong, Soda! I've never liked that guy and neither does he like me! I only put up with him 'cause he's your best friend! We've always fought, you were just too blind to notice anything!"

Sodapop froze, taking a step backward. Ponyboy stared at him, wide-eyed, only then realizing what he told his old brother. "Soda, I..."

"Pony," Sodapop interrupted harshly, making Ponyboy flinch back. "Go to your room, I'll deal with you later."

Ponyboy looked down as Sodapop stormed out of the house. He slammed the door, making Ponyboy jump. Tears started forming in his eyes. He hurt his brother's feelings; he would never forgive himself if his brother didn't talk to him. He wouldn't be surprised if Sodapop _hated_ him right now.

"Nice one, _kid_," Steve spat before making his way more slowly out the door. He also slammed the door but not before sending the younger boy a hateful look, making Ponyboy shiver.

He stayed on the couch, flipping the TV open, but his mind was elsewhere. He couldn't stop thinking of the sad look in Sodapop's face when he called him blind. It was beyond sad, actually. If Sodapop hadn't been mad, he would've bawled.

Instead, Ponyboy was left crying after what he'd done. No doubt he'd shattered his and his brother's tight bond. Even if Sodapop forgave his apology, he wouldn't entirely trust his baby brother. Hell, he'd probably trust Steve more than him.

Ponyboy hadn't even heard the front door open and close until he felt two arms wrapping around him. He looked up into Johnny's dark but loving eyes.

"J-Johnny, I...I screwed up," he mumbled, tears flowing on his face. Johnny let Ponyboy clutch the front of his shirt as the young boy cried, his cries gradually getting worse until they turned into sobs.

When Ponyboy finally calmed down to the occasional sniffle, Johnny let go of him, putting his arm around Ponyboy's shoulder and letting the boy's head rest against his own shoulder. "What happened?" he softly asked.

Ponyboy sniffled again. "I...Steve came here to look for Soda but I told him that he wasn't there. Steve started blaming me, saying that I was getting in the way and that I was annoying. I...I got mad and we started shouting names at each other until Soda came, sitting us on the couch and asking why we were fighting."

"And then?" Johnny quietly asked, knowing that Ponyboy wasn't done.

Ponyboy's bottom lip quivered. "I-I told him that we've been fighting for a while, that Steve and I never liked each other and that he was too blind to have noticed. He...he told me to go to my room, that he'd deal with me later and he left. Then Steve glared at me and left a couple of seconds later. I screwed up, Johnny, I screwed up!" Ponyboy said before bursting into tears once again.

Johnny bit his lip. True, what Ponyboy had said to Soda was mean, but what Soda had answered didn't sound at all like him. He'd deal with Ponyboy later...what did that mean? That he'd hit him? Ignore him? Tell Darry to let him handle Ponyboy?

Each and every way that Johnny thought of would break Ponyboy even more.

"God, Johnny, I regret so much..." Ponyboy said between two sobs. The boy wrapped his arms around his knees after having pulled them to his chest. He buried his face in his arms and sobbed.

Darry chose that moment to walk in. He immediately spotted his crying brother on the couch next to Johnny, who was hugging the boy.

"Ponyboy?" Darry softly asked, making Ponyboy's head snap up to look at his oldest brother. "Ponyboy, what's wrong?" The crying boy didn't answer, instead backing away from his brother, thinking that he had come across Sodapop outside and was only playing hypocrite, planning to punish him after. Johnny quietly explained the situation to Darry, who was quite shocked. Shocked by Ponyboy's insult to Soda and shocked to Soda's declaration against Ponyboy.

"C'mere, baby," Darry soothingly called, opening his arms to Ponyboy. Ponyboy realized that Darry wouldn't punish him and scooted closer, wrapping his arms around his big brother's back and resting his head against Darry's chest, quietly crying. Darry's shirt was getting wet, but the young man didn't care.

"W-What am I gonna do, Darry...?" Ponyboy asked with fear. "Soda said he-he'd d-deal with me l-later...He probably h-hates me..."

Darry rubbed his baby brother's back. "He doesn't hate you, baby, he told you himself many times that he would never hate you...just let him blow some steam. When he comes back, you'll be able to apologize to him. I'll talk to him, alright?" Ponyboy nodded against Darry's chest. Darry let go of Ponyboy and stood in front of his baby brother, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Now why don't you dry your tears and go to the movies with Johnny while I look for Sodapop?" Darry suggested. "I'll bring him back home and talk to him, kay?"

"Kay," Ponyboy agreed and looked at his best friend who nodded. "Sure," Johnny said, getting up and waiting for Ponyboy, who had gone to the bathroom to dry his tears and make sure his eyes weren't too red and puffy to go out.

A couple of minutes later, both young boys left for the movies. Ponyboy gave Darry a quick hug before walking out of the house with Johnny in tow.

XxX

Darry decided to wait for Sodapop's curfew to go look for said boy. He called Tim Shepard, letting him know that Soda might do something stupid but not precisely telling why. Tim already knew; he had caught a quick glimpse of the middle Curtis brother by the Dingo, so he told Darry that he'd keep an eye on him.

Darry also called Mrs. Matthews and asked her to let him know if Sodapop was staying the night at her house. She was quite the woman: she wasn't nosy and she was a very emotionally strong woman and a very caring mother. She often acted like a mother for the Curtis brothers, especially the first few months after their parents' accident. She quickly complied to Darry's demand and hung up with a soothing voice.

Finally he called Buck's, knowing Dallas was there. He told Dallas to bring Sodapop home if said boy winded by Buck's sometime in the night. The tow-headed Greaser gruffly answered, claiming that there was no problem and not asking why Sodapop would wind there in the first place.

So he waited. And waited. He waited for two hours before he heard the fence door swing shut. Moments later their own front door slammed shut. Finally Sodapop Curtis appeared, his entire face red. His eyes were puffy, probably from crying, but he looked like he had cried from frustration.

Darry noticed that his fist was clenched and there was a little bit of blood on his knuckles. "Did you get into a fight?" he asked as gently as he could.

Sodapop shook his head. "Nah, Steve followed me outside and let me punch him as hard as I could on his face to venture. Tried telling him it was useless but he said I needed it, that I would blow if I didn't blow off some steam. So I did. I think I broke his nose or somethin'." He shrugged, not entirely looking at Darry in the eye. "You'll see for yourself when he comes back here."

He finally looked at Darry, whose eyebrow was raised in a way that would make Two-Bit proud. He rolled his eyes. "No I didn't bother to hide that I left the house furious 'cause it's obvious that you know about Pony and I. See if I care right now, I don't wanna see his face and I'm not sleeping with him, he could learn to sleep alone for a night or more."

Darry's eyes widened. "Soda, you're not being reasonable, he..."

"NOTHING'S REASONABLE," Soda shouted, interrupting his older brother, who quickly shut his mouth. "So what if I didn't know that he and Steve were fighting, uh? That's no reason to call me blind! I'm far from it; in fact I notice more things than he does!_ He's_ the one who wasn't reasonable, not the other way around! I love him and Steve too much to h-" he hiccupped, "hear about them fight all the time without me k-knowing! They c-can't make me choose between the two of them, damn it!" he wailed before bursting into tears, hitting the wall with his fist once before sliding down to his knees.

Darry, who was shocked by his younger brother's outburst, snapped out of his stupor to sit down next to Soda, his back against the wall, as he reached out and pulled the upset boy in his lap. Sodapop didn't care if he was too old to sit in his big brother's lap; he only wanted to be held and cry his heart out, and that's just what he did.

"What are you gonna do now, Pepsi Cola?" Darry softly asked once Sodapop had calmed down.

"I still don't want to sleep with him, Darry," the teen answered. "I know it's not fair but I just need time right now..."

Darry understood. "It's okay, Little Buddy, I'll talk to him about your decision when he gets back."

"I already heard it," a small voice answered from the front, and both older brothers looked to see their youngest brother, tears streaming down in face. Not another word was spoken, and Ponyboy went to his and Soda's room, grabbing his clothes and throwing them pile by pile in his old room, all the while crying. He picked a couple of his books and slammed his door shut with a sob, thinking his brothers wouldn't hear it with the door's sound, but they did.

Darry looked at Soda who just shook his head then went to his own bed. Darry sighed, slowly getting up and getting his things ready for his next day at work. He then went to check up on his baby brother, knocking on Ponyboy's bedroom door. There was silence, then Ponyboy slowly opened the door, allowing Darry to see him in the state he was in.

He was clad in a pair of gray sweats and one of his own white T-shirts. His hair was messed up, sticking everywhere. What concerned Darry the most was the frown on his face, his blood-shot red and puffy eyes, and the slight pout of his lips.

"You okay, Ponyboy?" Darry asked, even though his baby brother obviously wasn't, and the both of them knew it. Still, Pony didn't allow Darry to hold him.

"I thought you said you'd talk to him," he accused tonelessly, ignoring Darry's question.

Said man sighed. "I did, Pony, but now he wants a little bit of time alone to think about the situation. I can't force him to speak to you if he doesn't want to right now."

Tears clouded Ponyboy's vision. "You promised me he wouldn't hate me. Now he does." He turned his back to Darry.

"Pony..." Darry said, trying to reach for his youngest brother, but Ponyboy didn't budge.

"Can you leave?" he quietly asked. "Please?" he added a few seconds later. Darry reluctantly agreed, probably going to fall into a restless sleep in his own room.

Despite the tenseness in the Curtis household, Darry quickly fell asleep...

...only to be woken up by a terrifying scream. He shot up from his bed and quickly made his way to Ponyboy's bedroom, swinging the door open. Ponyboy was sitting up in his bed, screaming his head off.

"Ponyboy!" he shouted, sitting next to the screaming boy and wrapping his strong arms around him, keeping him from moving. Ponyboy struggled but Darry was much too strong for him. Darry whispered sweet nothings into Ponyboy's ear, soothing the boy and willing him to wake up.

Finally he woke up with a gasp, his greenish-gray eyes wide and sparkling with tears. He hugged Darry and sobbed loudly, his body shaking in Darry's chest.

When he managed to calm down enough, he looked in his room sadly. "Darry, where's Soda?" he asked in a small, tired voice. He sounded so much like a scared toddler, but he couldn't help it. "I want," hiccup, "S-Soda..." He sniffled and tears started back to flow down.

Darry himself was surprised that Soda hadn't showed up. No matter what, no matter how mad he was, he still should've come. "I-I don't know, baby."

Ponyboy didn't want to hear it. "I want Soda, D-Darry; I w-want Soda..." He felt bad for rejecting Darry like that, but he wanted the usual comfort of his other brother.

Darry reluctantly got up, making his way out of Ponyboy's room into Soda's. He was surprised when he saw that Sodapop was sleeping. He always woke up when Ponyboy had nightmares.

He shook Soda's shoulder, which earned him a groan. "Go 'way, Dar," Soda mumbled groggily. "I got work in the mornin'."

"Your baby brother just had a nightmare," he said, a little frustrated. "He wants you. I know you're mad at him but the least you could do is comfort him."

He waited for an answer, but he never got one. Sodapop was fast asleep again. He sighed and made his way back to Pony's room, who had heard the entire conversation. Darry nearly cried at the sight of his youngest brother, but kept his emotions in check. "I'm sorry, Ponyboy. He's sleeping."

Ponyboy started crying again but then he extended his arms for Darry. Darry slightly smiled and hugged Pony, crushing him in chest. "D-Darry?"

"Yeah, baby?"

Hesitation, then, "...can you stay with me?" Ponyboy asked shyly. Darry nuzzled his nose in Pony's hair, making the boy softly giggle.

"Well, your bed is a little small for me, but how'd you like to sleep in mine, uh?" he suggested softly. He felt Ponyboy nod against his chest. He scooped him up, brought him to his room and lied him down. He lied down next to Ponyboy and threw his arm around him, _the way Soda would_, Pony sadly thought. Still, he snuggled into Darry's chest, curling up in a ball and quickly falling asleep.

XxX

The following week, Soda basically ignored Ponyboy; only the important things were said between the two boys. Even Steve's relation, who even though with Soda was still tense, was far much better than Pony's. Sodapop had forgiven him for fighting with his kid brother since the greaser didn't tell Soda anything mean unlike Ponyboy did.

Sodapop always claimed that he would choose Ponyboy over Steve if he ever had to make the choice, but now it sounded like he would do the opposite, which tore at Ponyboy's heart. All week, he had trouble sleeping; he would cry himself to sleep every night and he had a nightmare once every two nights or so. Every time he did, Sodapop would be torn between either comforting his baby brother or just ignoring him, so he would only stand by the doorway and stare, breaking Ponyboy's heart even more. Then Ponyboy would go in Darry's room and cry himself to sleep in his oldest brother's arms.

Things got worse the next week. The Socs, who had started to bother him during school, were increasing their bothering to bullying Ponyboy each and every day. One day, the poor boy had his head in the clouds, thinking about Sodapop, when he suddenly found himself surrounded by five Socs.

The DX was closer than home, so he took off running there in hope of getting help.

Unfortunately, the Socs caught him a block before he could reach the gas station in question. "SODA, STEVE, HELP!" he screamed as the Socs started beating into him, making him cry out. He tried blocking attacks and making punches of his own, but two Socs restrained him, pinning his arms behind his back and keeping his legs together to keep him from struggling as their three friends took turns slugging the sense out of the beaten boy.

He almost lost consciousness when he heard someone shout his name, and then the Socs dropped him on the ground and ran. He completely gave in to unconsciousness afterward.

When he woke up he was back in Soda's bed, nothing covering him but his clothes, which had been changed to Soda's sweatpants and blue T-shirt. Darry was in the room, staring at him; who knows where Soda was.

"You okay, baby?" Darry gently asked. Ponyboy shook his head.

"Where's Soda...?" Pony half-asked half-whispered.

Darry bit his lip. "He took another shift at the DX, baby...said he couldn't see you like this."

Ponyboy couldn't stop the tears from falling. Sodapop still hated him. Two weeks had passed and Sodapop still hated his guts.

Darry seemed to realise what Pony was thinking, but he didn't say anything, for fear of hurting his baby brother's heart more. Instead, he wrapped his strong arms around his little brother, pulling the bawling boy to his chest, letting said boy bawl his heart out.

Eventually Ponyboy's bawling subsided to the occasional sniffle, and then Darry couldn't hear him anymore. He quietly pulled away from Ponyboy, still holding him to check him out, only to find that he had cried himself to sleep. Darry bit his bottom lip and laid Ponyboy down back on his bed, tucking him in and kissing his forehead with so much love that if Ponyboy would be awake, he wouldn't believe it.

Darry tip-toed out of the room and closed the door behind him, making his way to the kitchen to cook dinner. At around five o'clock, Sodapop walked in, bags under his eyes and worry lines etched on his forehead.

"Hey Little Buddy, are you okay?" Darry asked, both concerned and confused. "I thought you were taking another shift at work."

"Steve sent me home, said he couldn't bare it to see me in this state," he answered tiredly. Before Darry could answer to that, Sodapop sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and buried his face in his palms. "I feel awful, Darry. I ignored him for two weeks and when I saw him getting beaten to a pulp...I can't believe I wasn't there for him like I should've..."

Darry made his way next to his brother and rubbed his back, crouching down next to Sodapop as he did so. "It's okay, Sodapop," he soothed. "You were mad at him, it's not your fault. You just felt like you needed time alone for a while. It's not your fault the Socs jumped him. If anything, I should've asked Two-Bit or even Johnny to walk with him."

Soda snapped his head up at Darry, tears streaming down his face, surprising the young man. "You don't understand, Darry! It's not just that, it's everything! Heck, it did hurt when he called me blind but I've been called much worse by the Socs! I shouldn't have made him suffer for the last two weeks and now he's hurt 'cause I couldn't take care of him!"

"...Do you really mean that...?" a small voice asked, and both brothers noticed that Ponyboy was standing by the doorway, heavily leaning against it.

Sodapop looked guiltily at him but didn't deny it. "I-I mean everything I said, baby," he said. "I'm so sorry for ignoring you, for making you upset all this time."

"Soda," Ponyboy said, making a step forward, but then he moaned and lost his balance, falling face first toward the floor. Soda caught him before he could hurt himself more.

"Are you okay, Pony?" Soda asked, but then Ponyboy hugged him, surprising the older teen.

"I-I'm sorry Soda...for calling you blind."

Sodapop nuzzled his nose in Ponyboy's hair just like Darry took a habit of doing, making Ponyboy giggle. "It's alright, Ponyboy. I forgive you." He hugged Ponyboy tighter. "I'll never leave you. I'll always take care of you." Before Ponyboy could add anything, he added, "I promise."


End file.
